Refrigerator cabinet



De@ E@ i936. R. W. HULL REFRIGERATOR CABINET Filed Mayv 5, 1927 f gva/vanto@ Habe/16W Hu l Patented Bee. 30, 1193@ UNET@ STATES PAINT @FEC ROBERT WINTER HULL, 0F CONNERSVILLE, INDIANA, ASSIG'NOR T0 REX MANUFAC- TUBING COMPANY, 0F CONNERSVILLE, INDIANA, A CORPORATION OF INDIANA REFRIGERATOR CABINET Application led May 5, 1927. Serial No. 189,023?.

My invention relates to refrigerator cabinets and particularly to the construction of the corners thereof, it being an object of the invention -to provide a neatl and attractive cabinet of simple but strong construction with reinforced strain resisting corners and in which screws and nails for fastening the parts together are largely avoided and where used are concealed, all as will be hereinafter more fully described and claimed.

In the drawings, which are made a part hereof and in which similar reference characters indicate similar parts,

Figure l is a front elevation of a refrigerator constructed in accordance with my invention,

Figure 2, a fragmentary top plan view,

Figure 3, a section on the line 3 3 of Fig. 1, and

Figure 4, a section through a modified form of corner structure.

In the drawing reference `character 10 indicates a refrigerator body or casing having a door 11 and corner pieces or channels 12 for holding the sections of the cabinet t0- gether and forming reinforcing or strengthening elements.

The refrigerator cabinet is preferably formed of heat insulating material 13 such as cork or the iilre about which is disposed corrugated or insulated paper board 14 with a backing 15 of burlap or the like. This construction is disposed around the sides of the cabinet and an upright Wooden pillar 16 is disposed at each corner oi the cabinet, such Wooden pillar forming a support and spacing member for the inner and outer metal walls 17 and 18 respectively. Each of said metal walls is provided with edge portions bent at right angles to the main body thereof, which are connected by screws 19 or the like to said pillar. The outer metallic wall plates 18 terminate at the outer corners of the corner pillars and have their extremities bent outwardly and reversely upon themselves in substantially U shape.

The contiguous edges or extremities of the outer plates are held together by means of the corner pieces 12 which are formed with inturned edges disposed at substantially right angles to each other and which engage or interlock with the reversely disposed oppositely extending extremities of the side plates of the refrigerator casing and form corners that are completely enclosed, all joints being covered and sealed and a strong construction and smooth finish secured.

The four upper corners of the cabinet, each of which is formed by the intersection 0f plain end surfaces of the other corner members are covered by caps 2l, which may be fastened in position by any desired means.

In lieu of the construction shown in Fig. 3 in which the wooden corner pillar 16 is used and in which the outside Walls of the refrigerator are formed of` wood or non-metallic material, a construction such as shown in Fig. 5 may be used, in which, between the inner and outer walls, a filler 22 of heat insulating material such as cork board may be provided and the outer walls 17 and 18 may be held together by means of a corner member 23, such corner strip being substituted for the wooden corner pillar 16 shown in Fig. 3 and forming a substantially hollow metal corner pillar with its outer surfaces disposed substantially right angles with its edges bent to form recessesto embrace adjacent edges of the outer walls 20 and 25.

From the foregoing it will be understood that the refrigerator described comprises metal corner members which form reinforcing elements and serve not only to reiniorce the device, but at the same time fasten the wails of the cabinet together in a manner to avoid the use of exposed screws or nails and at the same time serve to form a very substantial corner construction. Further, the device so constructed is not only neat and attractive in appearance, but is sanitary, being very easyto keep clean, an important factor in refrigerators.

llt will be further understood that a refrigerator cabinet constructed in accordance with this invention may be ship ed in parts, or in knoclodown condition. if esired, the walls being readily assembled by means of the corner elements 12 with their edges formed to interlock with the over-turned edges of the metal side pieces 18., This interlocking ICU can be accomplished by sliding the corner member 12 into lace to interlock with the side plates and t e joint between the' parts closed and sealedI by av little pressure or pounding with appropriate tools. The purpose of the inventiomhowever, is-to p'rovidle a cabinet primarily adapted for equipment with electrical refrigerating units, which cabinets are usually manufactured at a plant equipped and adapted for the manufacture of such devices, whereas the electrical refrigerating unit is manufactured and i'nstalled in such cabinets at adifferent plant, y

oftentimes at a considerable distance from the cabinet making plant, one concern frequently manufacturing the cabinets in one section of the country and the cabinets being assembled and equipped with the electrical refrigerating units in another section of the country.

It will be obvious to those skilled in the art that various changesmay be made in my device, without departing from the spirit of my invention, and I, therefore, do not limit myself to what-is shown in the drawings and described in the specification, but only as set forth in the appended claim.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is: Y

A corner construction for metal refrigerator cabinets comprising a corner pillar forming a spacing and supportn member for the inner and outer metal wal s of the cabinet, the said metal walls being secured to the said pillar, a metal facing plate on the front face of the said. pillar, the outer metal wall being secured to an adjacent face of the pillar, the said faces extending nearly to meet at the outer corner of the p1llar, said plates being doubled lback from the corner upon themselves to form reversely extending anges, a corner iron connecting the ends of the facing plates and being formed to lit around the corner and interlock with the facing' plates and binding them together against the pillar to form reenforcin strainresisting corner construction, sai facing plates being maintained in spaced insulated relation to the inner lining of the cabinet by said corner pillar, substantially as set forth.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand at Connersville, Indiana, this 3rd day of May, A. D. nineteen hundred and twenty-seven.

ROBERT WINTER HULL. 

